Sharjah Department of Public Works has announced the commencement of two waste management infrastructure projects at a cost of AED 641 million (US$175m). Sharjah’s government recently confirmed a 7 percent increase in spending on public infrastructure, accounting for some 30 percent of 2017’s record AED 22 billion (US$ 5.9b) budget.

The Public Works department has given the go ahead for a AED 370 million (US$ 100m) expansion project of the sewage treatment plant in Industrial Area No. 5, awarding the work to CH2M HillHalcrow and Metito Overseas. Located near the centre of Sharjah city, serving neighbouring industrial areas and mixed-use urban areas in the city centre. The fourth and fifth phases of the development plan aim to raise the capacity of the plant from 230,000 to 305,000 cubic metres per day.

The department has also begun a AED 271 million (US$ 74m) project to upgrade sewage infrastructure in the city of Kalba, on Sharjah’s east coast, which was approved earlier this month by the Sharjah Executive Council (SEC). The project includes developing a modern integrated sewage network for the city, extending sewer pipes to 75,000 metres, and the building of a new sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 3,500 cubic meters per day.

First phase of $108m prison opened

Meanwhile, the first phase of a new AED 400 million (US$108m) central prison has been opened in Sharjah’s Al Ramtha area. First announced by the UAE Ministry of Public Works in February 2015, the initial phase of the high-tech, sustainable prison complex will accommodate 1,000 inmates, while it will be able to house some 3,000 inmates when fully completed.